With both teams having played last season in a district that featured state football champions, Lakeshore and De La Salle are very used to playing against top-notch opponents. On Saturday, they were the top-notch opponents.

Having run through the Louisiana Qualifier for the National Select 7on7 Championship with just one loss between them, the Titans and Cavaliers proved their endurance in the 90-plus-degree heat on the first day of summer. Host Lakeshore proved to have just a bit more stamina, winning twice in Saturday’s championship round, 23-17 and 39-20, to earn a spot in the national tournament in Hoover, Ala., next month.

The Titans, who play in District 8-4A that includes defending champ East Jefferson, had a well-balanced attack with quarterback Dylan Fields at the helm and on target. They won 11 out of 12 games in two days – not counting a bye in the first round – including all five in pool play Friday and six of seven in tournament play Saturday. After losing to Holy Cross in their opening-round game, Lakeshore ran the table, defeating Ponchatoula, Fisher, Covington, Chalmette and then De La Salle twice.

“After that first loss, our team was kind of down, but our leaders decided we had to step up,” Fields said. “It was easier for me (on the hot day) because I don’t have to run much. When I woke up (Saturday), my arm was in so much pain and I was so sore, but after our first game, it just got better. Once we get it going, it’s hard to stop us.”

In the championship games, Ryan Flowers scored three touchdowns and Nathan Faciane scored two. Throughout the day, David Ducre, an LSU signee, showed why he will be tough to stop in his senior season by flashing his speed and elusiveness.

“Even after we lost the first game, I felt good about where we were,” Lakeshore Coach Craig Jones said. “We lost to a really good team in overtime, although I knew it would put us in a bad situation. Our kids have been here – it’s our fourth year doing it – and they’re kind of used to it now. …

“Playing all those games today, especially on this turf where your feet feel like they’re on fire, I’m real happy with where we are with our conditioning. I think we’ll only get better with the kids busting their butts four days a week, and they do everything we ask them to do.”

De La Salle, which went 2-3 in pool play Friday, played inspired ball throughout the morning and went unscathed into the championship round. They defeated Ponchatoula, top-seeded Amite, Covington and Northlake Christian to earn some time off before playing Lakeshore.

But the Cavaliers, who play in District 11-3A with defending champ John Curtis, fell behind early in both games, and didn’t have an answer for the Titans in the second game. At one point, they trailed 22-7 after a Flowers touchdown with 10 minutes to go on the running clock.

Still, Ryan Manale said he was very proud of his team’s effort, and he hopes making it this far will give the Cavaliers some confidence.

“On a long day like this, depth comes into play,” he said. “We had a sophomore drop the ball in the (first) championship game for a touchdown, and my junior, Christian Booker, did everything out there. He was done, exhausted.

“We did great work, and it was exactly what I wanted. I thought Lakeshore was phenomenal offensively. Bob Sanders, their offensive coordinator, hat’s off to him. He ran route combinations and (Fields) executed. That’s a team right there that looks like it could have played four or five more games. That’s amazing.”